Medusa - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2026-04-24T03:48:59Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2026-02-04T01:04:29Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: copyedit, see if I can further clarify the way you're meant to approach her

2026-02-04T01:04:11Z

copyedit, see if I can further clarify the way you're meant to approach her

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Umbire the Phantom: potholes, additional cite locations, etc.

2025-07-02T16:57:19Z

potholes, additional cite locations, etc.

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ potholes et. al.

2025-06-29T10:22:33Z

‎Strategy: potholes et. al.

Umbire the Phantom: cite no-pacifying

2025-05-20T10:15:37Z

cite no-pacifying

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ move toto

2025-04-20T20:29:30Z

‎Strategy: move toto

Umbire the Phantom: fix strategy

2025-04-19T21:25:05Z

fix strategy

Umbire the Phantom: shorten evil blurb more

2025-04-19T20:44:35Z

shorten evil blurb more

Umbire the Phantom: further copyedit, establish messages

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further copyedit, establish messages

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 '''Medusa''', {{monsym|Medusa}}, is a [[unique]] [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. She is a dangerous [[humanoid]] being that is the only [[human or elf]] to neither be [[Human (monster attribute)|human]] nor [[Elf (monster attribute)|elven]]. Medusa is a [[strong]] [[omnivore]] that is [[amphibious]] and capable of [[swimming]], has [[flight]], and can be seen via [[infravision]]. She cannot be [[tamed]] or even pacified.{{refsrc|src/dog.c|871|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-Medusa has a [[passive attack]]-like [[gaze]] that activates once per round and can [[Stoning|turn victims to stone]] if they meet her gaze, as it does in her original Greek folklore{{refsrc|src/mon.c|2874|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|704|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2208|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;she also has a weapon attack, a [[claw attack]] and a [[poisonous]] [[strength]]-draining [[bite attack]]. Medusa possesses [[poison resistance]], as well as [[stoning resistance]] ''except'' against her own gaze: [[applying]] a [[mirror]] or else wearing a source of the [[reflection]] [[property]] can protect the user from Medusa's gaze, and will reflect it back at her and turn her to stone ''unless'' she also has a source of reflection or else cannot see the hero or monster reflecting her gaze.{{refsrc|src/apply.c|945|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heromirror"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2180|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heroreflects"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|667|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="monsterreflects"}} See [[#Combat|the combat strategy section]] for further details on the gaze attack and how to take advantage of it.
+Medusa has a [[passive attack]]-like [[gaze]] that activates once per round and can [[Stoning|turn victims to stone]] if they meet her gaze, as it does in her original Greek folklore{{refsrc|src/mon.c|2874|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|704|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2208|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;she also has a normal weapon attack, a normal [[claw attack]] and a [[bite attack]] that inflicts [[strength]]-draining [[poison]]. Medusa possesses [[poison resistance]], as well as [[stoning resistance]] ''except'' against her own gaze: [[applying]] a [[mirror]] or else wearing a source of the [[reflection]] [[property]] can protect the user from Medusa's gaze, and will reflect it back at her and turn her to stone ''unless'' she also has a source of reflection or else cannot see the hero or monster reflecting her gaze.{{refsrc|src/apply.c|945|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heromirror"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2180|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heroreflects"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|667|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="monsterreflects"}} See [[#Combat|the combat strategy section]] for further details on the gaze attack and how to take advantage of it.
-Medusa is poisonous to [[eat]], and [[digestion]] attacks or biting into her [[corpse]] will also turn the eater to stone, similar to a [[footrice]]{{refsrc|src/mon.c|862|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|872|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2154|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2159|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2162|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;unlike a footrice, contact of any kind has no effect. A [[hero]] that eats her corpse while they have stoning resistance is guaranteed to gain poison resistance.
+Medusa is poisonous to [[eat]], and [[digestion]] attacks or biting into her [[corpse]] will also turn the eater to stone, similar to a [[footrice]]{{refsrc|src/mon.c|862|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|872|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2154|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2159|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2162|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;unlike a footrice, this does not extend to bare-skinned contact of any kind. A [[hero]] that eats her corpse while they have stoning resistance is guaranteed to gain poison resistance.
 ==Generation==

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 Medusa has a [[passive attack]]-like [[gaze]] that activates once per round and can [[Stoning|turn victims to stone]] if they meet her gaze, as it does in her original Greek folklore{{refsrc|src/mon.c|2874|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|704|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2208|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;she also has a weapon attack, a [[claw attack]] and a [[poisonous]] [[strength]]-draining [[bite attack]]. Medusa possesses [[poison resistance]], as well as [[stoning resistance]] ''except'' against her own gaze: [[applying]] a [[mirror]] or else wearing a source of the [[reflection]] [[property]] can protect the user from Medusa's gaze, and will reflect it back at her and turn her to stone ''unless'' she also has a source of reflection or else cannot see the hero or monster reflecting her gaze.{{refsrc|src/apply.c|945|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heromirror"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2180|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heroreflects"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|667|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="monsterreflects"}} See [[#Combat|the combat strategy section]] for further details on the gaze attack and how to take advantage of it.
-Medusa is poisonous to [[eat]], and [[digesting]] her or biting into her [[corpse]] will also turn the eater to stone, similar to a [[footrice]]{{refsrc|src/mon.c|862|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|872|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2154|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2159|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2162|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;unlike a footrice, contact of any kind has no effect. A [[hero]] that eats her corpse while they have stoning resistance is guaranteed to gain poison resistance.
+Medusa is poisonous to [[eat]], and [[digestion]] attacks or biting into her [[corpse]] will also turn the eater to stone, similar to a [[footrice]]{{refsrc|src/mon.c|862|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|872|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2154|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2159|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2162|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;unlike a footrice, contact of any kind has no effect. A [[hero]] that eats her corpse while they have stoning resistance is guaranteed to gain poison resistance.
 ==Generation==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
   |frequency=Unique
   |genocidable=No
-  |attacks=Weapon 2d4 physical, Claw 1d8 physical, [[Gaze]] 0d0 [[stoning]], [[Bite]] 1d6 [[poison]]
+  |attacks=[[Weapon]] 2d4 [[Physical damage|physical]], [[Claw attack|Claw]] 1d8 physical, [[Gaze]] 0d0 [[stoning]], [[Bite]] 1d6 [[poison]]
   |weight=1450
   |nutr=400
   |size=Large
-  |resistances=[[Poison resistance]], [[Stoning resistance]] (minus reflected gaze)
+  |resistances=[[Poison resistance]], [[Stoning resistance]] (minus reflecting her gaze)<ref name="heromirror"/><ref name="heroreflects"/><ref name="monsterreflects"/>
   |resistances conveyed=[[Poison resistance]] (100%), [[Stoning|turns eater to stone]]
   |attributes={{attributes|Medusa|fly=1|swim=1|amphibious=1|humanoid=1|pois=1|omnivore=1|nopoly=1|hostile=1|strong=1|female=1|waitsforu=1|infravisible=1}}
@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 * Although having very fast [[speed]] sometimes lets you get next to Medusa and attack her without her gaze stoning you (or stoning herself if you have reflection), this is not reliable, and even if you do get there, one turn is generally not enough time to kill her.
-For a hero lacks reflection or a mirror, or else opts not to use one, and blinds themselves to nullify her gaze, Medusa is not that difficult to defeat: unless a hero blitzed their way to the island as mentioned previously, they should have decent [[AC]] and a source of poison resistance; Medusa's attacks are not very strong for the point she is normally encountered at, and her own AC of 2 is fairly unimpressive. Even so, care should be taken when dealing with her, since Medusa can use the stairs to escape if scared&mdash;if you are blind and using [[telepathy]] and you lose track of her, but do not see her corpse or a death message, beware of her around her lair and on the levels immediately above and below. Medusa can also generate with a cursed [[scroll of teleportation]], providing an even nastier surprise if you encounter her later halfway up the dungeon and did not blind yourself beforehand.
+For a hero who lacks reflection or a mirror, or else opts not to use one, and blinds themselves to nullify her gaze, Medusa is not that difficult to defeat: unless a hero blitzed their way to the island as mentioned previously, they should have decent [[AC]] and a source of poison resistance; Medusa's attacks are not very strong for the point she is normally encountered at, and her own AC of 2 is fairly unimpressive. Even so, care should be taken when dealing with her, since Medusa can use the stairs to escape if scared&mdash;if you are blind and using [[telepathy]] and you lose track of her, but do not see her corpse or a death message, beware of her around her lair and on the levels immediately above and below. Medusa can also generate with a cursed [[scroll of teleportation]], providing an even nastier surprise if you encounter her later halfway up the dungeon and did not blind yourself beforehand.
 [[Pacifist]]s will want to avoid reflecting Medusa's gaze to kill her, which breaks the conduct; they can instead blind her and leave her to their pets, or additionally blind themselves, prepare a source of reflection, and give Medusa some powerful attack wands so she can kill herself with the rebounds.<!--Elbereth will protect you from any accompanying monsters. Leave that as an exercise to the reader.-->
@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 In classical folklore, Medusa was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human women with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Medusa was the only mortal among the trio—a later version of her origin written in Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' asserted that she was originally a mortal human maiden, transformed into her current state by Athena as a punishment. While the ''[[wikipedia:Bulfinch's Mythology|Bulfinch]]'' variant of the tale asserts that this was a result of Medusa's own hubris regarding her beauty (as quoted by the encyclopedia entry), other versions have this occur after Poseidon and Medusa lay together in one of Athena's temples, desecrating it—the original Latin ''Metamorphoses'' and other interpretations indicate Medusa did so against her will.
-In the tale of Perseus, he is sent to fetch Medusa's head by King Polydectes of Seriphus, who wanted to marry Perseus's mother Danaë and get rid of Perseus under the guise of having him fetch a gift. The gods were well aware of this, and gave Perseus divine assistance in the form of a [[Shield of reflection|mirrored shield]] (from [[Athena]]), [[Levitation boots|gold winged sandals]] (from [[Hermes]]), a [[Scimitar|sword]] forged by Hephaestus, and Hades's helm of darkness (both given by Zeus). These items were entrusted to the Hesperides, who also gave him a [[sack|knapsack]] to safely contain Medusa's head.
+In the tale of Perseus, he is sent to fetch Medusa's head by King Polydectes of Seriphus, who wanted to marry Perseus's mother Danaë and get rid of Perseus under the guise of having him fetch a gift. The gods were well aware of this, and gave Perseus divine assistance in the form of a [[Shield of reflection|mirrored shield]] (from [[Athena]]), [[Levitation boots|gold winged sandals]] (from [[Hermes]]), a [[Scimitar|sword]] forged by Hephaestus, and Hades's helm of darkness (both given by Zeus). These items were entrusted to the Hesperides, who also gave him a [[Sack|knapsack]] to safely contain Medusa's head.
 Perseus viewed Medusa safely using her reflection on the mirrored shield, then used it to guide his sword and behead her; as she was pregnant by Poseidon at the time, [[Pegasus]] the winged horse and the golden sword-wielding giant Chrysaor sprang from the neck of her headless body. Perseus then bagged Medusa's head and used the helm to escape the other two Gorgons; upon returning to Seriphus and discovering that his mother was taking refuge from Polydectes's violent advances, Perseus saved her by revealing the head, which turned Polydectes and his attendant nobles to stone. In popular culture, Medusa's "weakness" to reflection is often made more direct, with games such as ''NetHack'' making her vulnerable to her own reflected gaze.

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 ==Strategy==
-The most difficult part of reaching Medusa is often crossing the [[sea monster]]-infested waters of Medusa's Island. [[Levitation]] or [[water walking boots]] are the most common ways to cross the water. Using a [[wand of cold]], a [[frost horn]] or the [[cone of cold]] spell to freeze a path across the water is another option, as is filling the water with [[boulder]]s and/or some means of [[jumping]]. See the article on [[Medusa's Island]] for more specific details on how to successfully cross the waters or else dig down safely to the levels below.
+The most difficult part of reaching Medusa is often crossing the [[sea monster]]-infested waters of Medusa's Island. [[Levitation]] or [[water walking boots]] are the most common ways to cross the water. Using a [[wand of cold]], a [[frost horn]] or the {{+ of|cone of cold}} spell to freeze a path across the water is another option, as is filling the water with [[boulder]]s and/or some means of [[jumping]]. See the article on [[Medusa's Island]] for more specific details on how to successfully cross the waters or else dig down safely to the levels below.
 If you are trying to reach the island using boulders, the most efficient method is an uncursed [[scroll of earth]]. If need be, you can also push any boulder you find on the level above to the downstair and throw items to make them roll down. 8 boulders are needed for the [[Medusa's Island#First version|first version]], and 16 are needed for the [[Medusa's Island#Second version|second]]; this can be reduced to 7 and 14 respectively if you are willing to jump into water and crawl out. An [[amulet of magical breathing]] may also be used to traverse the level underwater, though you should waterproof your inventory beforehand to prevent as much of it getting [[wet]] as possible.
-If crossing the water is not an option, you may also opt to dig a [[hole]] to the next level and then come back up by using the [[staircase]] - the stairs to the next level are always in the same room as Medusa, so be sure you are ready for her before going up. This also makes Medusa a nasty surprise for players deep-shafted below her domain from above via [[trap door]]: if you end up below dungeon level 20 or so (including the [[Castle]]), you should immediately be on the alert for the possibility of finding Medusa if you make your way back up. Maze levels are often a sign that you are between Medusa's island and the Castle, though you are not guaranteed to encounter one between those two floors.
+If crossing the water is not an option, you may also opt to dig a [[hole]] to the next level and then come back up by using the [[staircase]]&mdash;the stairs to the next level are always in the same room as Medusa, so be sure you are ready for her before going up. This also makes Medusa a nasty surprise for players deep-shafted below her domain from above via [[trap door]]: if you end up below dungeon level 20 or so (including the [[Castle]]), you should immediately be on the alert for the possibility of finding Medusa if you make your way back up. Maze levels are often a sign that you are between Medusa's island and the Castle, though you are not guaranteed to encounter one between those two floors.
 ===Combat===

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
   |reference=[[monst.c#line2293]]
 }}
-'''Medusa''', {{monsym|Medusa}}, is a [[unique]] [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. She is a dangerous [[humanoid]] being that is the only [[human or elf]] to neither be [[Human (monster attribute)|human]] nor [[Elf (monster attribute)|elven]]. Medusa is a [[strong]] [[omnivore]] that is [[amphibious]] and capable of [[swimming]], has [[flight]], and can be seen via [[infravision]]. She cannot be [[tamed]] or even pacified.
+'''Medusa''', {{monsym|Medusa}}, is a [[unique]] [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. She is a dangerous [[humanoid]] being that is the only [[human or elf]] to neither be [[Human (monster attribute)|human]] nor [[Elf (monster attribute)|elven]]. Medusa is a [[strong]] [[omnivore]] that is [[amphibious]] and capable of [[swimming]], has [[flight]], and can be seen via [[infravision]]. She cannot be [[tamed]] or even pacified.{{refsrc|src/dog.c|871|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 Medusa has a [[passive attack]]-like [[gaze]] that activates once per round and can [[Stoning|turn victims to stone]], as it does in her original Greek folklore{{refsrc|src/mon.c|2874|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|704|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2208|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;she also has a weapon attack, a claw attack and a [[poisonous]] [[strength]]-draining [[bite]]. Medusa possesses [[poison resistance]], as well as [[stoning resistance]] ''except'' against her own gaze, and a [[mirror]] or a source of [[reflection]] can reflect it back at her and turn her to stone unless she also has a source of reflection or cannot see the hero or monster reflecting it.{{refsrc|src/apply.c|945|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heromirror"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2180|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heroreflects"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|667|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="monsterreflects"}} See [[#Combat|the combat strategy section]] for further details on the gaze attack and how to take advantage of it.

@@ Line 97: / Line 97: @@
 ===EvilHack===
 {{main|EvilHack}}
-In [[EvilHack]], Medusa is a far more formidable opponent with an AC of -8, and she is always generated with an [[orcish bow]] and 25-40 [[orcish arrow]]s. She is also capable of averting her eyes from her reflected gaze, making it much more difficult, but not impossible, to turn her to stone with it.
+In [[EvilHack]], Medusa is a far more formidable opponent with an AC of -8, and she is also capable of averting her eyes from her reflected gaze, making it much more difficult, but not impossible, to turn her to stone with it.
 ==Monster stats by variant==

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 '''Medusa''', {{monsym|Medusa}}, is a [[unique]] [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. She is a dangerous [[humanoid]] being that is the only [[human or elf]] to neither be [[Human (monster attribute)|human]] nor [[Elf (monster attribute)|elven]]. Medusa is a [[strong]] [[omnivore]] that is [[amphibious]] and capable of [[swimming]], has [[flight]], and can be seen via [[infravision]]. She cannot be [[tamed]] or even pacified.
-Medusa has a [[passive attack]]-like [[gaze]] that activates once per round and can [[Stoning|turn victims to stone]], as it does in her original Greek folklore{{refsrc|src/mon.c|2874|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|704|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2208|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;she also has a weapon attack, a claw attack and a [[poisonous]] [[strength]]-draining [[bite]]. Medusa possesses [[poison resistance]], as well as [[stoning resistance]] ''except'' against her own gaze, and a [[mirror]] or a source of [[reflection]] can reflect it back at her and turn her to stone unless she also has a source of reflection or cannot see the hero or monster reflecting it.{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2180|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|667|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} See [[#Combat|the combat strategy section]] for further details on the gaze attack and how to take advantage of it.
+Medusa has a [[passive attack]]-like [[gaze]] that activates once per round and can [[Stoning|turn victims to stone]], as it does in her original Greek folklore{{refsrc|src/mon.c|2874|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|704|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2208|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;she also has a weapon attack, a claw attack and a [[poisonous]] [[strength]]-draining [[bite]]. Medusa possesses [[poison resistance]], as well as [[stoning resistance]] ''except'' against her own gaze, and a [[mirror]] or a source of [[reflection]] can reflect it back at her and turn her to stone unless she also has a source of reflection or cannot see the hero or monster reflecting it.{{refsrc|src/apply.c|945|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heromirror"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2180|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="heroreflects"}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|667|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="monsterreflects"}} See [[#Combat|the combat strategy section]] for further details on the gaze attack and how to take advantage of it.
 Medusa is poisonous to [[eat]], and [[digest]]ing her or biting into her [[corpse]] will also turn the eater to stone, similar to a [[footrice]]{{refsrc|src/mon.c|862|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|872|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2154|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2159|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2162|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;unlike a footrice, contact of any kind has no effect. A [[hero]] that eats her corpse while they have stoning resistance is guaranteed to gain poison resistance.
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 ===Combat===
-The quickest way to deal with Medusa is to have [[reflection]] or [[apply]] a [[mirror]] towards her from any distance: this will reflect Medusa's gaze back upon her and turn her to stone, which is special-cased to bypass her stoning resistance&mdash;and neither method will work if you are [[invisible]], since she must be able to see you for her gaze to be reflected. [[Blind]]ing yourself or [[polymorph]]ing into a stoning-resistant monster protects you from her gaze, allowing you to take her on like any other monster. [[Cancel]]ling Medusa renders her gaze ineffective and generates [[YAFM]]: "Medusa doesn't look all that ugly."{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2176|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Players lacking reflection might like to find and investigate the statue of [[Perseus]] if it is in a separate location: it may contain a [[shield of reflection]] that they can use against her once it is uncursed.
+The quickest way to deal with Medusa is to have reflection or apply a mirror towards her from a short enough distance, which will reflect Medusa's gaze back upon her and turn her to stone<ref name="heromirror"/><ref name="heroreflects"/><ref name="monsterreflects"/>&mdash;neither method will work if you are [[invisible]], since she must be able to see you for her gaze to be reflected. [[Blind]]ing yourself or [[polymorph]]ing into a stoning-resistant monster protects you from her gaze, allowing you to take her on like any other monster. [[Canceling]] Medusa renders her gaze ineffective and lets you look at her safely.{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2176|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Players lacking reflection might like to find and investigate the statue of [[Perseus]] if it is in a separate location: it may contain a [[shield of reflection]] that they can use against her once it is uncursed.
 If you do not have any of the above means of neutralizing her gaze, e.g., from very poor luck, an inventory-wrecking [[bag of holding]] accident, and/or speedrunning to the [[Castle]], then it is generally best to avoid Medusa until you can obtain one and then backtrack. The following risks are worth accounting for when fighting Medusa and/or trying to avoid being made into a statue:
 * [[Sleep]] can immobilize Medusa and neutralize her gaze, but '''''only''''' while she is asleep. Her [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]] of 50 makes this highly unreliable, and even then it is wisest to keep your source of blindness or reflection worn: a foolhardy player risks being petrified the moment she awakens.
-* If you can reach Medusa's room without awakening her, it may be possible to hit her with a [[spellbook of finger of death|spell]] or [[wand of death]] while she is still asleep&mdash;beware that a miss will cause her to awaken, leaving you at her mercy if you lack reflection or a way to blind yourself as above.
+* If you can reach Medusa's room without awakening her, it may be possible to hit her with a [[finger of death]] or [[wand of death]] while she is still asleep&mdash;beware that a miss will cause her to awaken, leaving you at her mercy if you lack reflection or a way to blind yourself as above.
 * [[Hallucination]] can protect against all gaze attacks, but will only do so {{frac|3|4}} of the time.{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2166|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 * It is a '''very''' [[bad idea]] to fight Medusa as a [[purple worm]], [[mind flayer]] or [[master mind flayer]]: eating her brain or [[digest]]ing her will cause the stoning properties of her flesh to trigger.{{refsrc|src/eat.c|48|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/eat.c|519|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 * Although having very fast [[speed]] sometimes lets you get next to Medusa and attack her without her gaze stoning you (or stoning herself if you have reflection), this is not reliable, and even if you do get there, one turn is generally not enough time to kill her.
-Once her gaze is accounted for, Medusa is not that difficult to defeat: her attacks are not very strong for the point she is encountered at, and her [[AC]] of 2 is fairly unimpressive. Even so, care should be taken when dealing with her, since Medusa can use the stairs to escape if scared - if you are blind and using [[telepathy]] and you lose track of her, but do not see her corpse or a death message, beware of her around her lair and on the levels immediately above and below. Medusa can also generate with a cursed [[scroll of teleportation]], providing an even nastier surprise if you encounter her later halfway up the dungeon and did not blind yourself beforehand.
+If a hero lacks reflection or a mirror, or else opts not to use one, then blinds themselves to nullify her gaze her gaze is accounted for, Medusa is not that difficult to defeat: her attacks are not very strong for the point she is encountered at, and her [[AC]] of 2 is fairly unimpressive. Even so, care should be taken when dealing with her, since Medusa can use the stairs to escape if scared&mdash;if you are blind and using [[telepathy]] and you lose track of her, but do not see her corpse or a death message, beware of her around her lair and on the levels immediately above and below. Medusa can also generate with a cursed [[scroll of teleportation]], providing an even nastier surprise if you encounter her later halfway up the dungeon and did not blind yourself beforehand.
 [[Pacifist]]s will want to avoid reflecting Medusa's gaze to kill her, which breaks the conduct; they can instead blind her and leave her to their pets, or additionally blind themselves, prepare a source of reflection, and give Medusa some powerful attack wands so she can kill herself with the rebounds.<!--Elbereth will protect you from any accompanying monsters. Leave that as an exercise to the reader.-->
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 The fourth variant of Medusa's Island serves as a sort of "palace" for her, with an abundance of snakes and black nagas as well as a [[yellow dragon]]—after her decapitation in some tales, her spilled blood was said to have given birth to several creatures, including the Sahara's poisonous vipers and the venomous, twin-headed dragon-like serpent known as [[wikipedia:Amphisbaena|Amphisbaena]] (represented by the yellow dragon). Black nagas, yellow dragons, and their offspring are also [[acidic]] and thus resistant to stoning. The crystal ball may also be an allusion to [[wikipedia:Graeae|the Graeae]], daughters of the sea-deities Phorcys and Ceto and sisters to the Gorgons (who were sometimes called "Graeae")—Perseus stole their sole shared eye in order to ransom it for information on the location of either Medusa herself or the three objects needed to slay her, depending on the telling.
 ==Variants==
 ===UnNetHack===
-In [[UnNetHack]], hallucination can protect you from Medusa's stoning gaze.
+In [[UnNetHack]], hallucination reliably protects a hero from Medusa's stoning gaze.
 ===dNetHack===
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 {{main|EvilHack}}
 In [[EvilHack]], Medusa is a far more formidable opponent with an AC of -8, and she is always generated with an [[orcish bow]] and 25-40 [[orcish arrow]]s. She is also capable of averting her eyes from her reflected gaze, making it much more difficult, but not impossible, to turn her to stone with it.
 ==Monster stats by variant==
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   |frequency=Unique
   |genocidable=No
-  |attacks=Weapon 2d4, Claw 1d8, [[gaze attack|Gaze]] 0d0 [[stoning]], Bite 1d6 [[poison]]
+  |attacks=Weapon 2d4 physical, Claw 1d8 phyiscal, [[gaze attack|Gaze]] 0d0 [[stoning]], Bite 1d6 [[poison]]
   |weight=1450
   |nutr=400